Frazier Leads Penn State Past Nebraska

Story posted February 11, 2012 in CommRadio, Sports by Dan Smith

Tim Frazier came one assist shy of a triple-double as Penn State (11-15, 3-10 Big Ten) defeated Nebraska (11-13, 3-10 Big Ten) 67-51 Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Nittany Lions played a solid all-around game in front of a crowd of 13,103. The sizable crowd came out for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game and was treated to an easy win for Penn State.

Senior guard Cammeron Woodyard shot well from three point range, scoring 14 points and going 4-for-6 from three. But it was the junior guard Frazier who led the way for the Nittany Lions with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.

"I just go out there and have fun," said Frazier, who said that he was unaware that he was close to a triple-double. "Guys stepped in and made huge shots, made big box outs, tons of dives. It's an overall team game. Look down the list, everyone contributed."

Penn State head coach Pat Chambers did notice Frazier's stat line and tried to get him a tenth assist in the last two minutes.

"I ran two plays," Chambers said. "Tim knew to throw it to Cam for three, and then force it inside to Sasa [Borovnjak] for two. It was unfortunate, but they were good looks."

Chambers and his team had the luxury of trying to pad Frazier's stat line because of solid play throughout the game to build a double digit lead. Penn State led by ten at halftime and looked confident throughout the game.

The Nittany Lions shot well from the field, hitting 52 percent of their shots. The team's shot selection seemed to be improved from previous games, and strong shooting early in the game laid a foundation of confidence for the team, according to Woodyard.

"You want to start the game on a high," said Woodyard.

Chambers had to do some shuffling of the lineup after junior forward Billy Oliver decided to end his basketball career due to ongoing issues with concussions. Forward Ross Travis started for the first time since Jan. 22 against Indiana. Guard Nick Colella started his second game in a row and shot just 2-for-11 from the field, but Chambers was encouraged by his play.

"I'm glad he took 11," Chambers said. "He's got to be that assassin. He probably played too many minutes, he looked tired. But he plays defense, he's not just a specialist."

With Oliver out, the team's bench is much shorter. Chambers worked with a rotation of just eight players until the final minute of the game. Guard Jermaine Marshall came off the bench and added 12 points in 20 minutes of play.

"I brought Jermaine off the bench to get some bench scoring," Chambers said.

For Nebraska, head coach Doc Sadler said he was disappointed, but credited Penn State with playing well under Chambers.

"Today they shot the basketball probably as well as they shot it all year," Sadler said. "It goes back to believing what [Chambers] is doing and staying the course."

Dylan Talley led the Cornhuskers with 12 points off the bench. Caleb Walker contributed 10 points in 16 minutes of playing time. Sadler said his team's biggest obstacle is the play of his frontcourt.

"We have no inside presence anymore," Sadler said. "That makes a big difference. We are relying strictly on jump shots and jump shots are easily defended."

That defensive effort from Penn State included eight steals, three of which came from Frazier.

Penn State hosts Iowa this Thursday. That game will be broadcast live on ComRadio from the Bryce Jordan Center, beginning with pregame coverage at 7:30 p.m. and continuing with the full play-by-play at 8 p.m.

Dan Smith is a junior majoring in Broadcast Journalism and is the Executive Editor of ComRadio. To contact him, email des5249@psu.edu.